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Videoclip of the Month!!!

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

Shall Previal - Bury The Memories

Shall Prevail - Bury The Memories

Bury The Memories is Shall Prevail’s debut EP/Demo. This EP was self released and it is a cross between hardcore and metalcore. Australia has a really good reputation of bringing out many good quality bands. Many young Metalcore bands have trying to be the next big thing since Parkway Drive or Killed The Prom Queen. Lately there has been a wave of this kind of band and Shall Prevail is one of them.

Shall Prevail is a hardcore band with very strong Metalcore influences which are evident in their music. In particular it’s the Australian metalcore scene which has influenced many young bands alike. Shall Prevail have really tried hard to make a very good first impression with this release.They have definitely done this and their sound basically has Australian Metalcore branded on it. As soon as you start listening to some of the tracks on this EP it is easy to tell who they have been influenced by and what they want to sound like. This EP has everything you would expect to have in a great release. Great sounding guitar riffs and solos, Metalcore breakdowns, vocals the suit the music and most importantly it has character and variety. Unlike many bands that try to copy other mainstream bands such as Parkway Drive, Shall Prevail is definitely not a cheap knock off. They still have those influences but have incorporated them into their own sound.

Musically they are very good. The riffs, drumming and vocals fit together like a glove. The breakdowns suit their style. Also they are not too fast so that they don’t have the full affect on the listener and they are not so slow that they try to be as heavy as they can and it sound really boring. Some may refer to this as chugging. But there you won’t find any of this here, it sound just right for the intended mood and not only that. You don’t hear the same breakdown all the time. They like to change tempo to keep things interesting. Also they use a very wide bandwidth and the breakdowns sound very deep and filling. Their breakdowns really kept the music alive.

This EP keeps a nice balance of fast paced and slow paced tracks. This is really good because I don’t want to keep hearing the same thing at the same speed over and over again. This mixture really makes things standout when it comes to different riffs and different sections of the song. Also because of this it’s interesting throughout the whole EP not just a couple of songs. Another thing is that weather or not you are in the mood for fast stuff or slower stuff or even anything in between you can find it here. When this is done right I find that this kind of thing makes EPs endlessly replayable.

The vocalist of Shall Prevail has that kind of scream or growl that you would normally expect from an Australian metalcore band. They don’t usually go very high pitched or extremely deep, the vocalist uses the right pitch and he carries his vocals long enough to have the full impact. Also he doesn’t try to show off his vocals by singing as fast as he can as long as he can. This is really good because it shows that this band isn’t a poser band and is the real deal. Also what I like about Shall Prevail is that they work as 1 unit rather than each person trying to play in time with each other.

The last thing are the guitars, the guitar work is very well done. It’s hard to think that a band such as these guys can write such good tabs. They really do spark some emotion and atmosphere in the music that just sounds great. Also they sound very matured for a teen band as well which makes me want to hear what they create in the future. I think that the best decision they have chosen to do is kept it simple. They don’t try to be overly technical or try to show off their talent too much. But they do have talent. Also they use a combination of acoustic and electric guitars which makes the music sound even more interesting. I think it’s great when bands like Shall Prevail mix and match with different styles to see what suits them the best. I think they may have found it.

Although this is a very good EP there are a few things that really disappointed me. First of all it’s the recording quality. I know and appreciate that this is an underground band which has a very limited budget. But with a band with so much potential I think that it’s a bit of a shame that they didn’t have access to high quality recording. With high quality recording I think they could have enhanced everything from the vocals to the drumming. I think it’s the drumming that has taken the biggest hit from the poor recording quality. It didn’t seem filling and a little off at times. Also it didn’t seem to have that oomph that people usually like to hear when it comes to drumming.

Also at times I can’t really hear the bass guitar, this makes the music sound very hollow and everything sounds over powering. Also when the guitarist does his solo, it sounds very distorted and seems to echo quite a lot, the result of this is that the sound starts to blend in together and sounds really bad. I mean it would have sounded better with proper recording but it was wrecked quite a bit. Also at times the drumming and guitars might be a little bit off. It is usually the case when the guitars are going fairly fast but the drumming doesn’t really seem to be matching the pace. I’m not sure if it’s the drummer that is off pace or maybe it’s recording, either way it doesn’t sound as good as what it should be. The double kick has also been another victim from the recording quality, it was only when the music stopped for a few seconds that I even noticed that they even exist. Also I believe that any EP or album is like a team and each track is like a team member. Like any good team, each team member should pull their own weight. Arabic Hardcore seems to be the outlier track in the EP. It just doesn’t seem to have the same feeling as the other tracks, it seems blended and the song itself is very poorly constructed. Although this is a very good EP I think that the recording quality has let them down quite a bit and it’s a shame that all this has gone to waste.

Shall Prevail seems to be a very ambitious band, creating some awesome tunes that constantly change, I think that the style they have now suits them very well. There are some pretty good tracks on this EP. There is a mixture of emotions in this EP, the track Bury The Memories is a more clam track has excellent riffs and is very well written and executed. It has an element of emotion, it seems to be a combination of happy and calm kind of feeling. This track sounds very mature and isn’t something I’d expect from a teen band. Also Bury The Memories seems to be highly influenced my Metalcore rather than hardcore. It is easy to too hear the Metalcore influences in some of their tracks. The track Can You Do The Crabman? Sounds extremely influenced by Metalcore. The breakdowns sound great and the riffs are not overly complex and suit the mood perfectly. Not to mention that the transitions are really good as well, this is great because it keeps the whole thing from falling apart and makes it interesting. Also there is a short little drum solo in that track as well. It might not be the fastest or longest in the world but it’s still very good. The track Nautical Nonsense is probably the best song out of the whole EP and is the Shall Prevail equivalent of Parkway Drive’s Boneyards. It has very good song structure. They breakdowns are perfectly executed and really highlight the track. The melody in Nautical Nonsense is really good as well. It has a nice pace and is just an amazing track. Also it has crammed all of the things great about Shall Prevail’s sound into a single track. Great riffs, combination of faster and slower tempos, breakdowns, emotion and when the acoustic guitar comes in it just puts the icing on the cake. It is just an amazing track, considering that this is such a young band.

The Tundra is an acoustic track, it’s fairly good it does spark some emotion and though into the listener. It starts off slow and builds up pace. It’s nothing really special but it is definitely worth listening to. The only downer is the track Arabic Hardcore, it doesn’t seem to suit their style and doesn’t fit in with the rest of the tracks. The music is very loose and even the recording is unbalanced. Also the transitions don’t really seem as smooth as they should be and there is quite a large pause half way through the track I have to admit it’s not the best thing on the EP. This EP does have a decent length of around 23 minutes.

Overall Bury The Memories is one really good debut EP. It shows what might be next in Australian Metalcore and the number of quality of young bands that hope to spread the music that they love. Shall Prevail has really shown their creativity and have already come up with their own sound. This is a very ambitious band that mixes hardcore with Metalcore. They have really made a good first impression with this EP and definitely gives the listener a good idea of what these guys are all about. They have really good breakdowns, excellent song writing, emotion and great variety. Variety is very important in the success of a band because it targets a wider audience, although this may only target the hardcore/Metalcore audience, it has a combination of emotions and feeling which is another form of variety. For people who want slower and more calmer song try the track Bury The Memories, it is very well written and is filled with emotions and feeling. For people who want a faster song listen to Icebreaker. It’s is of fairly decent speed and the melodies are great. Also is has a really good breakdown in that song as well. The real highlight in that song is the epic guitar solo in it which makes the whole track seem even better. You can try Arabic Hardcore if you with but it’s not the best song in the world. If you like breakdowns and want a little bit of heaviness, you can’t go wrong with Nautical Nonsense. It is really the standout track of the whole EP and is a very well executed track.

Overall this is definitely something to take a look at. Shall Prevail isn’t some crappy underground band to be overlooked. This is the real deal and these guys can stand tall alongside some of the uprising bands hailing from the land down under. This is a very difficult to score this because there are many different factors. For execution and song writing I’ll give it a 18/20, for replay value and variety it definitely gets a 19/20 but as for recoding quality I give it a 10/20. It’s the recording quality that really lets this down the most. It’s a shame that the potential for a really good EP can be ruined just because of poor recording. But I guess everyone has to start somewhere and I definitely want to hear what these guys have next. This EP really does remind me Parkway Drive’s debut EP and I hope these guys get just as good as them. Overall I give Bury The Memories a 16/20.